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Conan Gray recently released his third studio album “Found Heaven” on Friday, April 5, and has completely rebranded himself. If you are a fan of ’80s music, this album is for you.
The album starts with the self-titled track, “Found Heaven.” Immediately, a retro, alternative pop vibe was present, which initially surprised me. However, this is something I end up finding myself to enjoy. I think the track itself was a great opener, setting up the theme for the album. Was it the best song on the album? No, but it was wonderfully composed. From the songwriting and vocals, I think Gray did a great job in this new era of his, as it reminded me of mall music in the ’80s or even something characters from “Stranger Things” would listen to.
“Alley Rose” is easily one of my favorite songs on the album. Being one of Conan Gray’s only love songs, this was definitely something new for him; but it easily became one of the newest additions to my ‘obsessions’ playlist. There is a different depth to it, with the instrumentals in the background; it reminds of a combination of “Memories” and “Family Line,” from “Superache.” Not to mention, I think the song was beautifully written; he brings his listeners through the different stages of love, which I really liked. From the first line of the song, “I picked you up from the corner store/Your eyes were red and your lips were torn,” Gray paints vivid imagery which he establishes throughout the entirety of this track. This is an element of his songwriting that I fell in love with.
My least favorite song would have to be “Killing Me.” This is definitely an unpopular opinion, as this is one of the singles of the album and a song many on TikTok seem to enjoy. Now although I wouldn’t skip this song, I feel like this has been overplayed and I personally didn’t vibe with it. I didn’t like the melody of the song, and lyric-wise, I feel like it was not as well written as the other songs on this album.
The album closes with “Winner,” which is the fourth single of this album. This was one of the sadder songs on the album, something closer to his old style, but I have noticed that there seems to be a theme where his closers are usually on the sad side. I liked the piano that is playing throughout the song and especially when it reaches the climax; I think Gray has the perfect voice for this type of song and that this was the perfect closer to the album.
I think that Gray has improved so much as an artist since his debut with his EP “Sunset Season.” Although this album is not in his usual genre, I surprised myself, as I ended up really liking it. I would recommend anyone and everyone to give “Found Heaven” a listen.
